Gianlorenzo Blengini, the head coach of the Bulgarian men's national team, has made his final selection for the first week of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026. The Italian specialist named a group of 14 players who will represent Bulgaria in the first tournament of the competition, which will be held in Brazil.
Three volleyball players were dropped from the extended squad that held a preparatory camp in Samokov – opposite hitter Dimitar Dimitrov, outside hitter Georgi Tatarov, and libero Dimitar Dobrev.
Blengini's selection means that Bulgaria will have two debutants in official matches for the men's national team – Jasmin Velichkov and Denislav Bardarov.
Bardarov was very close to participating in last year's World Championship in the Philippines, but was then left out of the final squad. Now the outside hitter gets his chance to show his qualities at the highest level. His strong performance at the friendly tournament "Silesia Cup", where he demonstrated consistency and stability in his game, also contributed to the trust placed in him.
For Jasmin Velichkov, the upcoming participation is even more special. The talented outside hitter, who turned 19 on June 1st, will be part of the men's national team in an official tournament for the first time. Velichkov gets the opportunity to prove himself in tough matches against Belgium, Iran, Argentina, and Serbia.
Even before the start of the tournament, Blengini will test the young outside hitter in a friendly match against Argentina on June 6, with one of the interesting options being his interaction with the main setter Simeon Nikolov.
The national team departs this afternoon for South America, where it will continue its preparation for the start of the VNL. The "Lions'" first stop is Argentina, where on June 6, Gianlorenzo Blengini's team will play a friendly match against the "Gauchos". After that, the Bulgarian nationals will head to the capital, Brasília, where the first tournament of this year's Nations League edition will be held.
Before their departure, brothers Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov will speak to the media today.
Bulgaria's squad for the first week of VNL 2026
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Simeon Nikolov, Stoil Palev |
| Opposite Hitters | Venislav Antov |
| Outside Hitters | Aleksandar Nikolov, Jasmin Velichkov, Martin Atanasov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Denislav Bardarov, Rusi Zhelev |
| Middle Blockers | Alex Grozdanov, Iliya Petkov, Boris Nachev, Preslav Petkov |
| Libero | Damyan Kolev |
It is striking that there are six outside hitters and only one libero in the group of 14 players. This decision might also be dictated by subjective reasons that we are unaware of.
In this case, Blengini can take advantage of the new VNL regulations for the 2026 season, according to which the second libero is no longer mandatory to be included in the squad for a specific tournament. Thus, the Italian specialist gains the opportunity to expand his options in reception and attack by including another player in the outside hitter position. If necessary, the absence of a second nominal libero can be compensated by registering one of the outside hitters for this role for a specific match (probably Rusi Zhelev, editor's note). This gives Blengini additional tactical flexibility and more options when selecting the squad for individual matches.
The upcoming matches against Belgium, Iran, Argentina, and Serbia will provide the first real answers regarding the potential of the revamped Bulgarian team, and debutants Zhasmin Velichkov and Denislav Bardarov will have the opportunity to show that they deserve a place in the national coach's long-term plans.
Photo: Nikolay Varadinov
